


the blue fantasy call

by yuni3010



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Fluff, Merman Baekhyun, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuni3010/pseuds/yuni3010
Summary: When he was forced to tag along to his father’s honeymoon, the last thing Baekhyun expected was to turn into some merman. Fortunately, Chanyeol was there to help him figure everything out.





	the blue fantasy call

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, another story from my part. This is almost complete, first published in AFF. I promise I get back to the other stories as soon as I finish this.   
> This was inspired by a TV show I once saw when I was younger, H2O: Just add water, which I discovered was on Netflix this past winter break.   
> Feedback is highly welcome.

Baekhyun’s father was a fool. That was a fact with no discussion whatsoever. 

Do not misunderstand. It was not because Byun Yonha was intellectually inept, of course not. He was a succesful entrepreneur, a bearer of vast knowledge in electromechanics and business management alike, a hard-working man that had secured a modest wealth under his belt. He was a fast learner, a clever negotiator, and an innate leader on top of that.

Hence, he was not exactly a senseless man.

But he was, in a way, rather heartless. Human psychology was not his prime forte, neither the uncertain and complex area of emotions, which meant that dealing with sentimentalism and irrationality was a herculean task for Baekhyun’s father. That tiny defect of his usually leaded him to make foolish decisions concerning heart’s matters.

Like, asking a twenty-four years old girl, who used to be Baekhyun’s beloved girlfriend, to be his wife. Which takes us back to our first point: Baekhyun’s father was a fool.

And perhaps considering Kim Taeyeon as a suitable candidate to replace Baekhyun’s mother was not precisely his worst, most thoughtless decision, but forcing Baekhyun to tag along to their honeymoon surely was. It could easily ovethrow everything else his lame excuse of father had done his whole life.

“ _'You like Homero and all that stuff'_ , he said”, Baekhyun grumbled as he stamped his passport on the pristine counter, making the airline service agent flinch and regard him with a leery, poignant look.

Baekhyun apologized half-heartedly as she finished registering his data, handing over his boarding pass and flight information. He stomped away and went to cross the entrance for the gates, bitterly complaining about the absurd situation. Since her uniform was pretty, he made sure to compliment it.

“ _'Well, yes, father, I like Homero and great part of Greek mythology, as well as classic philosophers, but you’re asking me to meet you in Capri, and that’s Italy'_ ”, Baekhyun mockingly recited, recalling his incredulous response to his father’s illogical reasoning. 

Baekhyun kept murmuring to himself as his bag luggage was checked by security, earning weird stares from the members of airport crew around him. Not that he minded them. He was too upset and angry to care.

“ _'Don’t be so grumpy, son! We’ll part to Greece and tour around all those tiny islands you’ve always dreamed to visit. You should thankful, you know, Taeyeon was the one reminded me of your passion for those places'_ —the bloody nerve of the guy. Of course, dad, you fucking convinced my girlfriend to break up with me and made her my stepmother...” 

He sharply exhaled and confirmed the number of the gate, going to plop on an empty seat, probably resembling a silly child throwing a tantrum by himself as he folded his limbs with slight petulance. He kept grumbling like a kid.

“I’m fucking elated and so, so thankful”, he scorned and put his sunglasses on, because he was not letting strangers see him tearing up over his stupid, senseless, insensitive father.

Baekhyun cooled down a while later, reconsidering his dilemma as he listened to acoustic covers of his favorite songs (he was a big sucker for Spanish guitars, it was his drug).

So, yes, his father was eons far from winning any type of recognition for stellar parenting, but he was at least trying it, unlike his mother, who had carelessly tossed their relationship aside once she found another man to leech from after the divorce. 

Furthermore, Byun Yonha was not precisely to blame for his son and Taeyeon’s separation, since Baekhyun had been aware from the very beginning that his elder girlfriend preferred mature, life-experienced men. Honestly, he knew that Taeyeon dated him mostly out of pity, although she always denied it.

Baekhyun could avow he was decently handsome and spontaneously charming, but not even he could rebut that his father was an upgraded version in comparison regarding said aspects. His father was DRC 1990 while Baekhyun was Duckhorn 2014—and old wine is the best, really. He could not deem Taeyeon at fault for chosing his father, either.

It just... happened.

Taeyeon cared still, which could be very beneficial for Baekhyun, but not when she was making him travel about eighteen hours to tag along with them for the last part of their honeymoon. 

He eyed the ticket and sighed. “This trip better be good, noona, or you’ll be booking me an exclusive dinner with Pyong-Chol Han.”  
  


  
He rejoined Taeyeon and his father on Naples just in time to embark on their ferry to Capri. Baekhyun had roughly gotten any sleep on the flight from Incheon to Paris, since the perky kid behind him would not stop fussing over _everything_ , and the flight attendants returned every five seconds to notify the mother about multiple complaints. 

But the torture did not end there. Baekhyun was not that lucky.

On the flight to Naples, a Chinese lady was seated by his side, and although she looked rather shy and inconspicous at first, she had been like Rachel from _Friends_ —she ranted the entire two hours about an ex-boyfriend she still loved and whom she was trying to stop from marrying some girl named Maria Gaetana, like the famous mathematician.

(He might have shared with her the awful experience of witnessing his once adored ex-girlfriend vowing she would be faithful to his father until death took her last breath, and she had been kind enough to wipe his tears).

So Baekhyun was not in his best disposition when he stepped aboard, following his father and the winsome, comely Taeyeon. He was irritable from the lack of proper rest, and overly distressed because his father and Taeyeon were definitvely behaving like newly-leds, kissing at any given opportunity, finishing each other’s phrases with accomplice smiles. It was greatly nauseating.

Maybe that was why he experienced motion sickness once the small ship sailed. He spent half of the journey throwing the surprisingly nice food served on the plane, subjected to pitiful looks from bystanders and busybodies. 

“Baek, you look so wrecked”, Taeyeon frankly told him, sweeping sweaty bangs on his forehead and offering a bottle of water. 

Baekhyun simply shrugged, rolling his dark eyes when his father excused himself to make a call. As if he would get good reception in the middle of nowhere.

He gulped the refreshing liquid greedily, cleaning a dribble at the corner of his mouth with his thumb afterwards. Taeyeon grinned softly.

“Try not getting a wink of sleep during a sixteen hours flight, tolerating stinky eyes from some snobbish migration agent for not speaking their language next, and hurling your guts and soul out of your body at last—we can discuss then why do I like like I’m about to pass out.”

She laughed, shaking her head slowly, her blonde waves bouncing in a spellbounding picture. Baekhyun felt almost ashamed she was being seen with him when his horrible aspect would have made Prometheus feel lucky. Almost. 

“Don’t forget your final reward, Baek: you’ll be soon on those Greek islands you’ve always spoken so fondly of”, she consoled him, petting his crown as he nodded, pensively. “I bet you’ll have a great time there. Perhaps you’ll even find some nice girl to-”

A cerbic bile was raising and burning his throat again, so Baekhyun covered his mouth desperately. “ _Shit_ —the bag, noona, the bag!”

And the conversation died there, for his father returned not long after and stole Taeyeon’s attention. Baekhyun remained slumped on his gloomy corner, feeling defeated and dejected.  
  


Taeyeon managed to convince his father to leave him alone after their arrival at Capri’s pier, which bustled with excessive life and colorful energy for Baekhyun’s dreary humor—Italian regionalisms and broken English rained everywhere, with snippets of Spanish and Turkish, and the ocassional Greek here and there. Baekhyun would have found the multicultural brew exhilarating if he had not been so deadly tired. 

He politely rejected attending the luxurious lunch some business partners of his father had arranged in a renowned ristorante with awe-inspiring views from both town and sea, glad his father had not fretted over his uncooperative mood. Although he was confronted by a warning look that pretty much stated that spending time with them was a must.

Baekhyun dragged his spiritless self to the the villa that would serve as a temprorary home during their short sojourn in the island. It was lovely, a bit cozy with its medium-sized rooms, and not extraordinarily lavish. It was in a tranquil, picturesque neighborhood, but the high position conceded a privileged panorama, and the service was excellent. It fitted both Taeyeon and his father’s tastes, so Baekhyun imagined they had chosen it as a sort of implicit compromise.

The first of many to come, Baekhyun realized.  

He collapsed on his bed, completely knocked out, and entertained blank dreams for thirteen hours straight. He rose to relieve his bladder about three in the morning and slumbered for about three hours extra, until Taeyeon—his stepmother, _shivers_ —bursted inside and brusquely yanked the duvet away from his body, sending him flying to the floor in the process. As if that was not enough torture, she pulled the curtains open, allowing the blasting sunlight to scald Baekhyun’s groggy figure, who was suffering the aftermath of hibernating.

“Take a shower and get ready, Baek. We’ll be go sightseeing today”, she twittered before freely rummaging through his suitcase, selecting an outfit for him, as if he were a dependent kid. She probably thought of him as so. “We delayed our itinerary because someone died on us yesterday, but you’re not getting away today. Your father’s friends are joining us.”

Baekhyun groaned. Leave it to his father to turn his honeymoon into some folsky business trip. 

“Please, noona…”

“No, I’m not sparing you—if I have to endure listening to your father discussing about stocks, shareholders and future marketing projects, so will you”, she punctuated. “Do we understand each other, Byun Baekhyun?” 

Baekhyun’s prompt rebuttal would have been a snarky product of sarcasm and annoyance, however, her light tone, tacitly carrying the bothersome shadow of loneliness, made him rethink his response. In the end, he did not oppose, stretching his back and arms lazily as he traced a path towards his bathroom. 

Just before he disappeared inside it, he mirthfully added, “you’re a pain in the ass, noona. I think the stepmother role suits you.”

“You cheeky—”

After a revitalizing shower and throwing on a beach outfit for the mild weather, he happily trotted downstairs, greeting the friendly staff, who, in spite of the language barrier, did not fail to make him feel welcome. There was an elderly cleaning woman called Tessalonica who seemed to find him hilarious. She had entered his room that morning when he was practicing saying [_buongiorno principessa!_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e85A21XIsRA&ab_channel=alfredodigiorgio) as he combed his hair—she laughed gingerly, apologized for intruding and corrected his pronunciaton. 

Baekhyun praised their hotel scene with brighter eyes as he rested his body against the low wall that formed the balcony area where the multiple corridors emerged. He could oversee the entire vestible there, and Baekhyun saw it as an ideal home: light palette for the walls, tall ceilings, homey and strategically organized furniture, and an ample supply of bay windows and sliding doors. Similar to a typical countryside mansion from vineyards.

His father and Taeyeon were already inside the restaurant area, modest and quaintly charming, with another family on which he supposed his father’s business partner took pride. They were a youhtful couple, perhaps on their late thirties, and came accompanied by a pretty little girl and a young man that seemed around Baekhyun’s age.

“Baekhyun, finally”, his father cleaned his mouth with his napkin and stood up, bringing him closer. 

Baekhyun smiled mannerly. The couple looked even more juvenile up-close.

“Son, this is Park Chanwook, a good friend of mine. This is his wife, Gayoung, and their lovely daughter, Kaiya”, his father introduced them one by one, and he nodded along. They stopped on the other boy, who was fixedly watching him behind the edge of the book he had been reading. The title read _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_. “This is Park Chanyeol, Chanwook’s younger brother. He’s your age, Baekhyun. Hope you two can get along well.”

He was all right with socializing admist older crowds, as well as goofing around with youngsters, but Baekhyun was usually shy among peers of own age. It was probably because his classmates and acquaintances could be snobbish and rather hypocrite back home, and Baekhyun was used to be around his handful of trustworthy friends.

So he tensely shook hands with this Chanyeol boy, who, as if their exchanged meant nothing to him, quickly resumed his previous activity and apparently tuned out the vivid conversation the adults were having. For the remaining of their brunch, Baekhyun was left watching Taeyeon trying her hardest to spark a chitchat with Kaiya, the most beautiful nevertheless aloof kid he had ever encountered in his life. 

The dark-haired little girl made Baekhyun think of a kitsune for some unfathomable reason. Kaiya—if he remembered correctly—was not unresponsive per se, only that she looked far from gratified as the nervous Taeyeon rambled on with anecdotes from her childhood, painfully disheartened by the kid’s silence, but equally resolute. She kept twirling the curls of her doll’s hair, and Baekhyun belatedly realized the pent-up frustration she was radiating. 

“Noona—”, he tapped her hand at the same time Chanyeol covered his niece’s crown with one of his big hands. 

The taciturn guy was caressing Kaiya’s head with the exact amount of brotherly fondness Baekhyun did to Taeyon’s velvety palm. Baekhyun was momentarily stunned, but broke from his reverie when a powerful whiff of Taeyeon’s Dior,  _J’adore L’absolu,_ hit his nose when she leaned closer.

Baekhyun murmured, “I think she’s an introvert. Perhaps you should, you know, lower the excitement and let the kid get used to your presence first”, he adviced, looking ahead once more. 

He was surprised to see Chanyeol kneeling as he whispered something to Kaiya, whose gaze lit up in enthusiasm, and she nodded vehemently in agreement. Chanyeol kissed her niece’s forehead and secretly delated another message to Gayoung, who, mirroring her daughter, wordlessly nodded with a hint of rapture shining in her eyes. 

When he was gone, his brother remorsefully said. “I apologize on his behalf. Chanyeol’s a little odd—”

Gayoung hushed him with a raised finger. “He’s not. He’s an artist—a great musician and amateur painter—, and has spurs of creativity now and then. He promised to write our Kaiya a song, and she’s been quite excited for it. He just told us he already finished it and went to retrieve his guitar. He never travels without it”, she proudly declared.

Taeyeon, a singer at heart, perked up in interest. “Really? What type of music is he inclined to play? In a general spectrum.”

Chanwook interrupted them with a scoff, not precisely sardonically, but more like out o sheer disappointed. Taeyeon was taken aback, the unavoidable widening of her eyes being a clear sign for Baekhyun, but years working in HR departments had taught her how to mask her behavior to tactly solve predicaments.

“I’m sorry, but is there any problem?” Taeyeon asked Chanwook.

Gayoung frowned. “Honey, please-”

“He’s a smart, proficient kid, and it’s such a shame he’s not exactly exploiting his abilities to their full potency—”, Baekhyun blinked in astonishment when Taeyeon’s smile twitched, obviously struck by the remark; Baekhyun’s father limited himself to nod blankly as Chanwook ruefully added, “our old man has entrusted me to encourage him through a more reliable career path. Thus him tagging along to this trip.”

“Hope it works out for the best”, his father’s answer was civil but understanding, and served to appease Chanwook. 

Kaiya looked still unhappy, sadly puckering her lips as the men moving to discuss their definition of personal success, and Baekhyun felt quite bad for it.

Gayoung, who seemed just as upset as her daughter, sighed in resignation. “I’ll go and change for the boat tour. Kaiya, sweetie, come on—we’ll get our matching dresses, okay? Mama and her precious warrior will look amazing today,” Kaiya grasped her mother’s hand and waved slightly as they left.

Baekhyun stood up, too, poking his ex-girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’ll go to my room to retrieve some things. Meet you guys at the lobby?”

Taeyeon narrowed her eyes. “You’ll be there, won’t you? Because I swear—”

He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Gee, I won’t run away from this, I promise.”

“We’ll be leaving in ten minutes, Baekhyun!” His father called him on his way out, “don’t be late or we’d head off without you!”

_Tempting, but noona would have my head._

Baekhyun leisurely climbed the staircase and turned to the right, in the direction of his room, but halted when a luscious strumming of cords attracted him, like a moth to a flame, like an invincible magnet. He was swirled to the opposite end, where a deep bass of voice was lowly singing:

 _Lead me,_  
to the place where you live,  
take me with you.  
I’ll follow you,  
even if it’s the end of the world.  

 _Please, don’t go out of my sight,_  
don’t disappear even when the morning comes.  
The walk that I dream of,  
you’re my one and only beautiful butterfly. 

Baekhyun reached the end of the corridor with nimble steps. He peeked inside, his nose peering over the arch of the slightly open door, and discovered a rather endearing sight. Gayoung had secured Kaiya on her lap and they were on the cold flooring, both of the swaying their curtains of dark hair as they were serenaded by Chanyeol, who was perched on the footrest of their bed. Kaiya was beaming, and Baekhyun would have lied if he did not find the picture absolutely enthralling.

He was forced back into reality by their joyful cheering.

“Uncle, that was amazing!” Kaiya chirped, hopping out of her mother’s back-hug and flying near Chanyeol. Baekhyun was awestruck by her honey-like, nice cadence. “Thank you so much! I love it!”

“It’ll sound better with additional voices and a proper technical arrangement, but I’m quite content with the result. Glad you liked it, butterfly”, Chanyeol said, sprawling his arms out to embrace the little girl who jumped on him after he put the guitar down. 

Gayoung was clapping gently. “It’s good, Yeol. It is. You’ve improved so much, it’s amazing.”

Baekhyun retreated and walked away with a happy grin, softly humming what the could recall of the song, unaware of the pair of round, grey eyes catching his profile when he was slipping out of the scene.  
  


Marina Grande was a cluster of colorful houses and all kind of boats. The beach was ample, and looked splendid in such sunny day. They were told it was the affable fishermen’s home, and that one of the locals had volunteered to guide them around. His name was Amadeo, and he was a chatty, well-humored man.

In spite of everything, Baekhyun felt a little lonely as they settled in Amadeo’s breathtaking boat. And kind of motion-sick once again, though not as grave as before.

Taeyeon and Gayoung found they had some hobbies in common, since they both enjoyed doing yoga and adored horse riding, and his father was inmersed in a conversation about mountain biking with Chanwook. Even Kaiya was engaged in some talk, candidly explaining to Chanyeol what she had learned about dolphins when she visited aunt Yoora in Australia—she was most likely Chanyeol’s elder sister, by the way he huffed an _aw, why is noona like that_ whenever Kaiya mentioned something cringe-worthy. Yoora was, apparently, a marine biologist that liked romantic novels too much.

Not that Baekhyun cared or anything, but their talk was the most entertaining.

They started their excursion with everybody prating about something over Amadeo’s rough chuckles. Amadeo tried to claim their attention a couple of times, but Baekhyun was the only one who actually acknowledged him. He thought it was ironic, since he was the unstoppable chatterbox most of the times. 

“Alright, people”, he croaked unexpectedly, his voice booming as they passed a natural concavity, and finally everybody shut up. “I’ll begin with our traditional storytelling.”

Their captain reminiscenced stories about his fellow townsfolk, and their famous adventures in the wondrous landscapes and caves they stopped by. Meanwhile, they all snacked on panino caprese and cool drinks.

Baekhyun was the first to dive in whenever Amadeo gave them a green light. He relished in the delicious feeling of crystaline water, salty but fresh, brushing his hot, sun-kissed skin, licking his troubles and stress away. He loved swimming because of that: it never failed to make him feel carefree, wild and full of life. The water was a paradise for him.

Taeyeon seemed to remember him whenever they were paddling around, beckoning him closer to see these organisms, to watch those bank of fishes, to cling onto his neck for the photos his father insisted taking. 

“Are you having fun, Baek?” She inquired, holding onto his shoulders as he swung his arms, as if he was carrying her in a loose piggyback-style. 

They were at Green Grotto with a few other tourists and their respective boats. His father was merrily speaking to an English couple which had asked them if South Korea was expensive to visit or not. Gayoung and Chanwook were playing with Kaiya, looking like an average, happy family.

He noticed Chanyeol was not around then. He made out his tall physique returning to the boat, greeting Amadeo with his hand and slouching under the roof-awning shadow. 

“Earth to Baekhyun”, Taeyeon whined, pulling his ear to get him to respond. He hissed but did not protest further, since he had forgotten about her question. Taeyeon rested her wet cheek on his slippery blade with a pout. “You’ve been awfully quiet the whole morning. You’re usually not this... circumspect and not-noisy. So, what’s up?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Nothing.”

The soft waves crashed against the brilliant rocks, and  the strong sound of splashing relaxed him slightly. Taeyeon was not having any of that, though. 

“Baekhyun, tell me. You know I’m a good confident.”

“It’s nothing, really. I’m just tired-”

“Don’t lie to me—”

He coughed, swallowing a mouthful of water when she bounced ever so little. It pissed him.

Taeyeon gripped his collarbones. “Baekhyun-”

“You know I didn’t want to be here, noona. Were you really expecting me to be ecstatic knowing that this is—”, and he inhaled sharply, recognizing his snappish attitude had gone far.

Taeyeon got off him in an instant. She seemed regretful, and hurt. 

“Noona—”

“I’ll be with your father”, Taeyeon curtly said. “Why don’t you go and cool off in the boat?”

With Taeyeon being mad at him and spoiling his mindset along the way, Baekhyun discerned no point on staying on the water and draining his energy; he could sulk on the boat and prevent tiring himself needlessly. He begrudgingly glided back, just like she had instructed him. Amadeo offered a calloused hand when he caught Baekhyun struggling to get on, and the young man was more grateful than anything else. 

Baekhyun was angry, and things hardly go well when someone is as angry.

He plopped in the bench in front of Chanyeol, who was halfway through _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_ , and covered his irritated face with a clean towel. Baekhyun wanted to cry and scream and curse—but his body was too fatigued to comply, the fight on him yielding as seconds ticked by. Serenity was his only desire. 

“Baekhyun, is it?” Amadeo hovered near, and Baekhyun’s brain took longer than normally to fully process he was being referred to. He sat up in a hurry and clumsily removed the towel with an embarrassed smile. 

“Yes, sir?”

Amadeo fell by, making the polished wood creak as he adjusted himself on the empty seat. There was a casual quality on his actions that had Baekhyun squirming faintly.

Their guide observed the frolicking visitors and tilted his head towards Baekhyun’s father and Taeyeon, who was giggling without a care in the world. 

“That young girl in the one piece swimsuit, is she your stepmother?”

Most people would have considered the question bordering rude and downright meddlesome, but Baekhyun did not mind it. He could be quite curious and annoying, too. 

“Yeah... But, don’t be fooled, because noona isn’t as young as you think—she’ll be twenty-six in a couple of months”, he disclosed slowly. “Although she looks so _callow_ , she’s very mature for her age.”

Chanyeol choked on spit and stared up, with his bottomless eyes increasing their size, just like a deer in the headlights. _Busted_ , Baekhyun thought as Amadeo alternated looking at them with a simper. The captain petted Baekhyun’s hair twice before hoisting himself up, rusty bones cracking in place as he moved forward. 

“Sir...?”

“The sea is endless and the options are just as infinite”, Amadeo crooned, or attempted to, for his parched voice sounded terribly jarring. Chanyeol’s expression was perplexed as he mentally translated the meaning of such words, but Baekhyun’s shrinking heart understood them perfectly. “Baekhyun, you seem to like swimming alot, don’t you? I believe you won’t have troubles moving further to fish a better catch. Not that this one was bad, but it wasn’t fitted for your lure. Alright?”

Baekhyun was speechless, so he just agreed with a nod. 

“Chanyeol, boy, don’t look so dumbfounded”, Amadeo strolled to his seat by the rearguard of the boat, giving his back to them. Baekhyun turned to see the other guy fidgeting with his volume. “Why don’t you tell us what that book of yours is about, hm? Must be pretty good stuff, for you to decide it’s better than enjoying the sweet spots of my beloved Capri.”

Chanyeol flushed red at Amadeo’s teasing, and Baekhyun could not contain the bark of laughter he sputtered at his expense. 

“Well, it’s about a man, Auberon Quin, who is selected to be King of England through a random, lottery-like method. But the thing is, this guy takes everything as a joke, even his new responsibilities. He takes outrageous and quite ridiculous measures, like reinstating medieval heraldry... He kind of reminds me of one of my friends, Kyungsoo—”

Chanyeol recognized the amusement in Amadeo’s eyes, identical to Baekhyun’s, and was funnily ashamed again. 

“I’m sorry, I... It’s just that I’ve got a bet going on. If I don’t finish this by midnight, my niece’ll make me date her cousin”, Chanyeol scrunched his nose in scanty distate. “And, while Nayeon’s a gorgeous and funny girl, she’s too... how to describe it? Different, you could say.”

Baekhyun did not comment, sipping a bottle of water quietly, but Amadeo’s furrowed eyebrows had Chanyeol elaborating his point.

“I mean, our interestes clash too much. She can’t mention all the names of _The Beatles_ , only John and Paul, and I was once telling her why I actually like _One Piece_ and she asked me if it was a D.C. comic, or if it was from Marvel”, Chanyeol took a deep breath and Baekhyun had to stiffle a snort because _shit_ , the guy talked as much as he could. “I won’t even tell you what how she’s interpreted my favorite books, which I might’ve suggested her to skim. She’s nice and all, really, but not the type of girlfriend I’m looking for.”

Baekhyun arched his brow. “Man, that’s so sad. She sounds shallow.”

Chanyeol dismissed it with a hand gesture. “Please, don’t think she’s stupid or something. That girl has a passion for fashion, and can give you an historical review of different styles all the way before Christ, even with phisolophical tendencies marking specific cultural tendencies. She’s good at maths, too, and loves animals like crazy—which is why is so picky with cosmectis and stuff. She’s an activist against animal experimentation. She’s just not that interested in music and animation, which is what somehow keeps me grounded.”

At Baekhyun’s slacked jaw, Amadeo chuckled. “There’s always another side to the coin, isn’t it?”

Baekhyun nodded stupidly. “Indeed...”, he eyed the book and composed a smile. “But why Chesterton? She should’ve made you read _Gulliver’s Travels_ or something like that. That’s a torturous book.”

“Kaiya discovered him thanks to Neil Gaiman. She read it first, realized it’s not exactly a fast book, and challenged me to finish it in three days—but we spent one and half traveling from Hong Kong to Paris, then coming here, and she’s been unfairly disctracting the last twenty-four hours.”

Baekhyun snapped his fingers. “So she is like a kitsune!”

“All dainty-looking but clever like a freaking fox? Yes, that’s my niece for you”, Chanyeol, far from offended, asserted with a sympathetic glint. “She’s shy, but very tenacious. My little butterfly.”

Baekhyun whistled, kind of touched by how endeared Chanyeol seemed. “She’s going to be a heartbreaker.” 

Chanyeol flipped a page of his book and he paused his swift reading. “Don’t think so. She’s ten years old, yes, but she already has a boy she wholeheartedly adores. His name is Leo, and  he’s great—he says his favorite song is _Creep_ by Radiohead.”

“First loves don’t last that long, you know...” Baekhyun trailed off, tongue stinging a bit. He was talking from experience.

Chanyeol froze and let his hand linger over the printed words, before shrugging. 

“In my family, they tend to. My parents are each other firsts. They’ve known each other for over forty years, have been married for thirty, and they still love each other—they fight and make up like newlyleads, really”, he passed another page. “Chanwook-hyung didn’t date, just slept around a lot, until Gayoung came to the picture and shook his entire world—she’s her first love, too. Now they have Kaiya, and their fights are mainly about me and whether I’ll starve to death if I continue pursuing music.”

Once again, Baekhyun was oddly at loss of words. Chanyeol tapped his chin so he would close his mouth and went back to his book, feathery fingertips leaving behind another page. Amadeo shouted that it was time to move to their next destination, startling the dazed Baekhyun.

Taeyeon side-hugged him once they were on board, and he felt the motion sickness again. “Baek, I’m sorry about before. Are we in good terms?”

Baekhyun noted his father was cautiously glancing their way, and so was Amadeo. He gave her a positive response to assuage her guilt, unglued her arm from his waist and moved to behold the sight by Chanyeol’s vacant side. The taller barely recoiled, but steered him a discreet glance, full of questions.

Amadeo watched with a happy smile as Baekhyun scooted closer, the color returning to his pale face, the ill look abandoning his face.


End file.
